So a little background: I've had mild acne since my teen years but was virtually clear from 16-29 (an occasional breakout here or there) while I was on birth control. Having a history of breast cancer in my family, my dr. encouraged me to go off bc asap. At 29 I decided I was finished having kids (I have 3!) and had a permanent bc procedure performed. I subsequently went off the pill. Within about 6 months I started having major breakouts - mostly along my jaw-line and on my chin, although I'd get the clogged comedones on my forehead and around my temples (everywhere, really). My skin was horrible. Talk about depressing, especially at 30 years old! I tried every otc product I could find, spent thousands of dollars. Nothing worked.

So while google-ing dermatologists in my area, I came across this site. I decided that I have nothing else to lose at this point.

I've been on the regimen (dkr's products) for 7 days. Two days ago, at day 5, my skin looked amazing - so, so, so impressed! However, I woke up yesterday with 3 large cysts on my chin. I've never had 3 cysts at once and not all in the same location like this. It's discouraging, although I know I'm only a week in. My forehead is completely clear and ALL of the comedones are gone, which is a huge improvement.

Unlike a lot of people, I haven't had excessive drying. Days 2-4 were a little flaky, but I never felt the tightness or redness that people talk about. Actually, I'm sure oiliness caused by a hormonal imbalance is the source of my acne. I still notice the oil midday... I'm working on that with ACV, Vitamin A, Zinc and fish oils. We'll see if it helps.

So far my regimen is as follows:

Morning: DKR cleanser, DKR bp 1/2 finger, DKR moisturizer(I'm trying not to wear make-up but there are times when it's necessary (i.e. picking up my daughter from preschool where the other "trophy wives" flaunt their big hair and perfect skin, lol)Night: same as morning

I'm also drinking 2 cups of Rooibos (red bush) tea per day and lots of water - I completely cut the dark sodas from my diet and only drink clear sodas on occasion. Will be adding AHA in a few weeks.

I woke up really frustrated this morning. The breakout on my chin is a giant, red, bumpy mess. It's been years since I've broken out like this and it's so discouraging. On top of that I have a new whitehead on my forehead (the forehead that's been clear!) and a couple between my eyebrows. I sure hope this improves soon!!

I increased my BP last night and definitely felt tighter and drier today, so maybe that was what I needed. Time will tell I guess.

Feeling ugly today. Dry chin, flaky eyebrows, I'm a mess. The breakout on my chin is slowly healing, as is the spot my my forehead but I have a few new whiteheads on my nose area (also in a place I don't normally breakout). I had to go to my daughter's school function this morning and really wanted to bail and stay in bed. Make-up didn't cover nicely AT ALL. Ugh. My chin is so dry that the crease between my lip and chin cracked - it's extremely red and painful. I avoided that area with the BP both last night and this morning and instead just slathered it in moisturizer.

Well things improved dramatically over the weekend. There is nothing active on my face! I'm not going to hold my breathe but I really hope this is the start of clear skin. I used AHA on Saturday night (early still, I know) but my skin reacted positively to it and felt amazing the next morning. I'm going to continue using the AHA a few nights a week. Aside from the couple red spots on my chin and a few scars on the right cheek, things are looking great. I will say though, that my skin definitely looks tight and dry, especially around my mouth and eyes... I'm hoping that once I get used to the BP and winter ends, that'll stop.

I used AHA again last night and my skin looks healthy, hydrated and amazingly smooth this morning. I love that stuff. I've noticed on the days I don't use it, I wake up with dry, snake skin. That stuff really is wonderful! I had two new whiteheads pop up last night but they're nowhere to be seen today. I have no new breakouts and scars are fading nicely.

Not much change over the past few days. No major breakouts, although a few tiny bumps have appeared along my jawline/temples which is indicative of the dreaded ovulation. This is the time when a huge cyst usually makes an appearance on my chin, so far nothing. We'll see!

The AHA has really helped with the dryness and I've had no redness or other reactions to it.

One step forward, two steps back - that's how I was feeling this weekend. I had a minor breakout on Sunday, no cycsts just annoying little zits. By Monday though, they were disappearing and today I'm clear once again. In retrospect, I realize that was probably my "that time of the month" breakout and am so impressed that it came and went so quickly. Wow. Usually I have about 3 huge cysts on my chin, in addition to a million tiny bumps around my jawline. Fingers crossed that this regimen keeps those monthly breakouts at bay!

The dryness is subsiding too. I have a little flaking around my hairline and eyebrows on occasion but it's manageable. I've even been able to substitute moisturizer for AHA at night.

Not much improvement - a couple annoying little pimples have popped up on my forehead and cheek. They're drying up fast but it's still discouraging.

I've been doing a lot of research and am realizing that the problems with my skin are probably attributed to internal factors. I'm going to make a more consorted effort to "clean" up my insides in hopes of naturally treating the problem. Of course, I'm going to stay on the regimen since it seems to be a good temporary fix, until at least I feel comfortable with the "internal" regimen. I also purchased a Salicylic Acid 20% which I plan on using Sunday night. I hope that helps the red spots, blackheads and hyperpigmentation .

So I did a salicylic gel peel last night, this one http://www.amazon.co...30366286&sr=8-1 and wow! I woke up this morning and two annoying zits pretty much shriveled up and fell off. Gross, I know. Also, I had a cyst forming on my chin (the dreaded monthly monster) and it is significantly smaller today. I didn't use any BP last night after the peel because my skin was really burning and I didn't want to aggravate it anymore, but I also didn't need too. I used a small amount this morning just on my problem areas. My pores are noticeably smaller and my skin feels amazingly smooth. I can still feel the acid doing it's job - pores are tightening and oil is non-existent right now. It's incredible. I can't wait to use this peel again in a few days. I'm really optimistic about it, especially after reading all the good reviews.

My diet has been pretty good too. My family is making progress at cutting out the processed foods and limiting sugar. Cheese will always be my nemesis but I'm not convinced that dairy is a problem for me. I've always consumed a lot of dairy without a problem. Sodas and sugar seemed to be a trigger for me.

It's the second day after my peel and my skin looks even better. Maybe I've found the miracle i've been looking for? No actives right now - even the cyst that was forming has disappeared. My pores were much smaller today and my red marks and scars were much lighter - like, no makeup today lighter! I had some major peeling on my chin after my cleanser this morning but I slathered on some cetaphil and it hasn't come back. Unlike the BP which makes me dry all day no matter how much moisturizer I use. I did use BP last night but when I noticed the peeling today, I decided against it for the morning routine. It's afternoon and I'm still not oily - just my eyelids a little.

I plan on carrying on with the regimen but will be doing the peel once a week. Yahoo!

So I had a huge breakout last week - that time of the month. It made me realize something though, if my problem is truly hormonal, I don't think any amount of BP is oging to help when it comes to that time of the months. Those buggers are stubborn. I did some researching because I've had many other issues that I was starting to think could be related - anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, heavy periods, hypoglycemia, irritability,bloating, ect. It always coincides with my cycle. I just chalked it up to PMS, something I have to live with. But I looked into hormonal imbalances and found myself on a website about estrogen dominance. I won't get into too many details, but I'm positive that this is my issue. I called my Dr. who recommended I try a natural progesterone cream to help balance my hormones. I'm hoping this helps those annoying monthly breakouts too. I absolutely believe that if I can fix the hormone imbalance, my acne issues will disappear.

I'm staying on the regimen - although I cut down significantly on the BP because it's just making my skin look awful. I use it at night and then only as a spot treatment during the day. I'm currently 100% clear since my pms breakout week has passed. This is why I'm 100% positive that my problem is only hormones.

I also used the salicylic 20% gel peel again and LOVE this stuff. My pores are tighter, skin in less oily and overall complexion just looks better.

Well things are moving along. A couple new mountains under the skin, including one by my ear that doesn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon I've been blasting it with 10% BP gel, to no avail. More confirmation that this BP treatment isn't going to work 100% for me because the "root" of my problem is on the inside (hormonal). I'm on schedule to start the progesterone cream in 6 days and the time cannot go by fast enough.

Well I'm about 2.5 months into the regimen. It's going alright. Still having breakouts on my chin/jawline. My overall tone looks much better and the red marks have dramatically improved. I have more clear days than not, but I still don't feel 100%......... not even 70%.

Regimen remains the same. And I'm continuing with the peel once a week.

If you have estrogen dominance the best thing you can do is workout regularly. It really helps eliminate estrogens from the body. I'd stick with the regimen too, because you're going to need to attack it both ways. If you're on progesterone cream, I hope your MD is monitoring your hormone levels, because it can throw off your estrogen if it gets too high, and that can lead to other issues, like more acne and depression.

Please only PM me if it's something that cannot be talked about on the thread or is highly personal. This way, everyone benefits.